Ever vigilant.

Every day, dedicated men and women at Houston Airports work to ensure the safety of the thousands of passengers and staff who arrive, depart, and work at the airports. According to Federal Aviation Administration statistics, more than 2.5 million passengers fly in and out of U.S. airports every day, and Houston is no “small” player in those numbers. Houston Airports forms one of North America’s largest public airport systems and served almost 55 million passengers in 2017.

Chuck Farina, Manager of Security and Emergency Preparedness at William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), recently talked about ongoing efforts to keep airports safe. With safety as the primary driver, Hobby recently upgraded three of its “police booths” and fortified and transformed another. These booths allow the Houston Police Department (HPD) to provide a physical police presence at Hobby and give travelers the opportunity to ask questions of and get information from the officers.

Sgt. Robert Garza, HPD, Hobby Airport Division, advised that the upgrades to the security booths was a collaborative effort between HPD, Houston Airports and design firm PGAL. The concept started nearly three years ago and now that construction is nearing completion, HPD officers will have a greater ability to monitor the physical footprint of the airport and respond as needed. It essentially adds a new dimension to the safety and security, not seen at most airports.

Farina also lauded the efforts of Mike Powers, Division Manager – Project Management, in coordinating with HPD, the designers, and the contractor. “Powers’ coordination efforts were critical in getting this project off the ground,” Chuck said. “Powers has kept the project moving forward by continually communicating with all of the stakeholders.”

Farina  talked about the tremendous ongoing investments the Houston Airports makes in working to keep people safe. He said the overwhelming majority of people going through the airports are simply taking care of business or engaging in personal and leisure activities and taking advantage of the efficiencies of flying.

“But we have also seen ‘bad actors’ in the States and around the world,” he continued, “who have targeted airports, and we have to work to neutralize and eliminate those threats.”

Farina talked about the great respect and value that Houston Airports places on their working partnerships with the HPD and the Houston Fire Department. He said that the cooperation and coordination with these entities is essential in the promotion of safety and security at the airports

“We do a lot of work together behind the scenes,” he said. “We do a lot of pre-planning; tabletops, workshops, practice drills – it is a matter of being prepared as best we can. If and when something should happen, we want to give ourselves every tactical advantage that we can.”

Farina said that other airports are also considering improvements and upgrades to their police booths and that the work done at Houston Airports may be considered a model for others in the future. In the meantime, he said that the commitment to protect and keep all people safe is paramount in the minds of the security teams at Houston Airports.

“Those who work in and travel through the our airports can be assured that we are doing everything in our power to keep you safe and secure,” he said. “We are also very appreciative of the work of the Transportation Security Administration. We are continually looking at ways to improve upon what we have now, and what we do now.”